Fave dei Morti Umbre

Name: Fave dei Morti Umbre
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Umbra
Ingredients: 200 g blanched whole almonds; 150 g caster sugar; 100 g Plain flour; 1 medium egg; 1 unwaxed lemon; 0.5 tsp Ground cinnamon; 15 ml mistrà liqueur; 1 pinch Fine sea salt

Fave dei Morti Umbre are traditional small, chewy almond biscuits shaped into broad bean ovals, baked across Umbria for All Souls' Day in early November.

🇮🇹Italy· Umbria

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 15 min
Total: 40 min
Servings: 6
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 240 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 8 gathered

Servings

200 g blanched whole almonds — dry and skinless
150 g caster sugar — fine white sugar
100 g Plain flour — Tipo 00 or plain wheat flour
1 medium egg — beaten at room temperature
1 unwaxed lemon — finely grated zest only
½ tsp Ground cinnamon — ground spice
15 ml mistrà liqueur — dry aniseed spirit, or sambuca
1 pinch Fine sea salt — to balance sweetness

Equipment

•Baking sheet
•Baking parchment
•Food processor
•Mixing bowl
•Wire cooling rack

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 240 kcal
fat: 12 g
carbs: 28 g
fibre: 2 g
protein: 6 g
calories: 240 kcal

Instructions

1
Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment.
2
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C (140 degrees C fan).
3
Pulse the almonds and half the caster sugar in a food processor until finely ground.
4
Transfer the almond meal into a mixing bowl with the remaining sugar, flour, lemon zest, cinnamon and salt.
5
Pour in the beaten egg and the mistrà liqueur.
6
Stir with a wooden spoon, then knead by hand into a soft, cohesive dough.
7
Pinch off walnut-sized pieces weighing about fifteen grams each.
8
Roll each piece into a smooth ball and flatten it slightly into an oval shape.
9
Press your thumb gently into the centre of each oval to mimic a broad bean.
10
Arrange the biscuits two centimetres apart on the prepared baking sheet.
11
Bake for twelve to fifteen minutes until pale golden on the base and set on top.
12
Transfer immediately to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Chef's tips

Grind the almonds with sugar in short pulses to stop the nuts releasing oil and turning into paste. Do not overbake the biscuits; they must remain pale and slightly soft inside, hardening only as they cool on the rack.

Ingredient substitutions

mistrà liqueur → sambuca, anice secco or water with a drop of pure anise extract
blanched whole almonds → ready-made ground almond meal, skipping the grinding step

Storage

Store completely cooled biscuits in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to two weeks.

Reheating

These biscuits are served at room temperature and do not require reheating.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Baking at too high a temperature, which burns the delicate almond dough before it bakes through.
•Over-processing the almonds into an oily paste instead of a fine, dry meal.
•Baking until completely browned, which makes the finished biscuits rock hard rather than chewy.

Serving suggestions

Serve at room temperature alongside a glass of sweet Vin Santo or Sagrantino Passito.Offer as part of an autumn afternoon collation alongside roasted chestnuts.Serve after dinner with black espresso.